What Matters
by Lynnlee22
Summary: Shayne and Dinah-a different end
1. Chapter 1

Shayne sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. How had his life gone so terribly wrong? As he looked down at the thin, gold band, he slowly turned it around on his finger. Something about feeling it there, made him feel closer to her. There were times he wanted to rip it off and throw it as fast and as far as he could, but something in him couldn't do it.

Looking around the hotel room, Shayne saw the stack of gifts. A messenger had delivered them earlier that afternoon. He couldn't bring himself to even go near them. Their brightly colored ribbons seemed to mock him, reminding him of the life he almost had. Now everything was gone…she was gone.

He stood up from the bed—pacing around the room. He was angry at her for keeping this from him. Didn't she trust him enough? Didn't she trust their love enough? Why not? What had he done? What hadn't he done? It was that..the questions, that haunted him.

He was angry at himself for just sitting there. He had sat on the bed like a mute, letting her walk out the door..letting the most important thing in his life just walk out the door, he thought. Shayne sat down on the edge of the bed again and buried his face in his hands.

"How could I have been so stupid?," he muttered.

* * *

Dinah chewed the food slowly, willing it to go down. She wasn't hungry, but she ate anyway. She had to keep her strength up she reasoned, though she hadn't come up with any good reason to keep on living yet. A few days ago, she was happy. She was getting married to a man that she loved with her whole heart. She was making plans for the future, but underneath it all, she was a woman with a secret.

She was exhausted. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes all she saw was the look on Shayne's face when she told him. The way his eyes spoke of hurt and betrayal. How could she have done this to him? How could she have hurt him this way?

When she walked out the door, she had hoped more than anything in the world that he would stop her, but he hadn't. She knew this was what she had to do. It was the only thing she could do. She left him so that he could move on with his life. He could find a woman that would love him and be honest with him and be worthy of him. She could have given him all she had, but clearly that hadn't been enough.

He deserved more than that. He deserves more than the mess I made of his life, she thought, as she walked over to the edge of her bed. Sitting down, she put her hands over her face. She wondered why she had even allowed herself to dream of having this life with Shayne. She should have known it was too good to be true. I turn everything good bad, she thought.

"How could I have been so stupid?," she sighed.

* * *

A light turned on in the dark room. Spreading the envelopes onto the table, the man sat down in an exhausted heap. He had been gathering this information for days, but he had finally found something useful. Perusing the photos and records, he started to make notations on the small map on the corner of the table. The most recent transaction had been a few hours ago, he realized. A deli. Checking the address, he quickly located it on the map.

"Not too far from here," he muttered. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his phone, saying, "Time to check in back home."

* * *

Shayne arrived at his mother's house a little before noon. Lunch had been picked up from Company and he was really trying to make this a decent visit. He knew his mom was still going through a lot without Jeffrey. They had that in common. They had both lost the people they loved most in the world. Shayne made quick work of the walk up to the doorway and rapped on the door.

"Coming," Reva called from inside, "Hi, sweetie," she told him giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Reva noticed the ring on his finger. He still hasn't taken it off, she thought. As she and Shayne began to eat their lunch, the conversation was stilted at best. Small talk about everything from the weather to baseball soon became stale.

Finally Reva said, "So, honey, how are you doing really?".

Shayne looked up at her, "Oh, Mom, other than the fact that the woman I love more than anything in the world is gone and I feel like she took my heart and soul with her, I'm great," Shayne said sarcastically dropping his fork with a clink on the table.

Reva looked sympathetic. "I'm so so sorry Shayne. I wish there was something I could do. I really wish things could have been different," she lamented.

"I know Mom, me too. I just," Shayne's voice broke as he simply couldn't hold back his emotions any longer, "I just miss her so much. Without her, my life…it's just so empty."

Josh walked around the room gathering his plans before heading out to the construction site. Matt would be expecting him any time now.

As he saw his cell phone light up, he sighed with annoyance. "Josh Lewis," he answered. "Well…Well…Well," the voice on the other end taunted, "I was hoping I'd catch up with you Josh. This isn't exactly the sort of thing you want to leave on the voicemail," he said.

Josh recognized the voice immediately. "Edmund. What do you want?," he demanded.

"Now, Josh, no happy to hear from you, Edmund, nothing….I mean, you all thought I was dead. Surely there's a little relief there," Edmund said with a sinister laugh.

"Don't count on it," Josh growled at him.

"Well, no matter," Edmund continued, "Anyway, I simply need you to pass along a message to your son."

"I'm not your messenger, Edmund," Josh spat angrily.

"Oh, but believe me Josh, you'll want to hear this. Tell Shayne that I have finally figured out how I'm going to exact my revenge against him. You see when he killed my daughter and my grandchild, he took the thing that mattered most in my life. Without Lara, my life is meaningless. Let your son know that he's about to experience that for himself," Edmund stated with a cold, callous laugh.

"Edmund, what are you talking about? What are you doing?," Josh yelled, his voice strained.

"Oh..no time, for chit chat, Josh. I'm off to visit an old friend of mine, but never fear, let your son know that I'll tell his wife hello for him." With that, Josh heard the phone disconnect. He threw his phone into his pocket and headed out the door. He had to find Shayne. He just hoped he had some idea where Dinah was.

* * *

Reva watched her son from the kitchen. She was supposed to be cleaning up after lunch, but she couldn't help looking at her son. He looked so lost. She knew that feeling well. She looked up at the framed picture of Jeffrey that sat on top of the microwave.

"If he misses Dinah half as much as I miss you, he's pretty miserable," Reva said to the photo.

Just then, there was a frantic knock at the door. Josh barreled in before Shayne or Reva could even stand. "Shayne, son, I'm glad you here," he said breathlessly.

Shayne just stared at him.

Reva spoke first. "What's going on, Joshua, what's wrong?".

"It's Edmund," Josh said flatly. "He called me this afternoon. He has something he wants me to tell Shayne," Josh said as he and Reva both looked at their son.

"I don't want to hear anything that man has to say," Shayne said with disgust, turning away from Josh.

Josh put his hand on his son's back. "You may want to rethink that son. I really think you'll want to hear this," he told him.

"What could he possibly have to say that I'd want to hear?," Shayne asked him, the disdain in voice very apparent.

Josh knew this could be a very difficult thing for Shayne to hear, but if there was any chance that Shayne had any idea where Dinah was, he had to ask him. Shayne would never forgive himself if Edmund got to her first.

"Shayne," Josh asked gently, "Do you know where Dinah is?"

Shayne jerked away from his father. "Why the hell would you ask me that!? Of course I don't know. Don't you think I would have gone after her if I'd known where she was? Do you honestly think I'd be sulking around here without her if I had a way to go get her?," Shayne ranted.

Josh frowned. He was afraid of this. This would make the news even more difficult for Shayne to hear. "Ok, son, ok…I hate to say this, and I hope to God I'm wrong. I hope he's just bluffing…just trying to make us squirm," Josh began.

"Who? Edmund," Reva asked, "What did he say?"

"He said he's going to show Shayne what it means to lose the person in your life that matters most," Josh said flatly. He looked up at Shayne and saw the fear in his eyes. "He said he'd tell her you said hello, Son," Josh place his hand on his son's shoulder, "I think Edmund may be going after Dinah."

* * *

"No..No..No..No..No…," Shayne yelled, not knowing what to do.

"Shayne, Shayne, sweetheart, try to calm down," Reva said as she tried desperately to soothe him, "here sit down."

Shayne sat down in the chair, his head in his hands. He rubbed his face roughly as he rocked back and forth. "What do I do now? What the hell am I supposed to do now?," he screamed.

Josh looked at his son, "I don't know son. Are you sure she didn't give you any idea where she might be…any kind of hint. Anything at all."

Shayne thought for a moment. "No..nothing. She left so quickly..she didn't even tell me goodbye. I have no idea where she is and now he's found her. He could do anything to her. God, if something happens to her…I…I don't know…."

Reva stroked her son's back. "Shhh…it's ok baby. It's going to be ok. We'll figure this out. If you don't know where she is, we just have to figure out someone that does."

Shayne looked up quickly. "That's it. Vanessa"

"Vanessa!," Shayne yelled as he pounded on the door.

"I'm coming," she called from inside. "My goodness," she said as she opened the door, "It takes me a moment. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Shayne and Josh pushed past her.

Shayne turned to her "Vanessa, I need to know where Dinah is," he said strongly.

Vanessa looked at him with sympathy. The truth was she knew very well where her daughter was, but she also knew that it was in her best interest to keep that information private.

"Shayne, I can't tell you that," Vanessa said gently.

"Yes, you can…and you will. You have to. Edmund…He's after. If he finds her before we do….God only knows what he'll do to her. You have to help me, Vanessa. You have to help me help her"

Vanessa looked at Shayne who was clearly distraught. "Edmund," Vanessa said softly, her voice full of emotion, "He's after my girl, my Dinah."

"Yes," Shayne told her, "That's why it's so important that you tell us where she is."

"Forget it," Vanessa said, walking towards the door, "Come on, I'll take to you to her."


	2. Chapter 2

Shayne sat in the seat of the airplane wringing his hands in worry. Vanessa sat next to him as Josh pushed his carry on bag in the overhead compartment.

"Shayne, just calm down. We'll get there," she said trying to calm his fears as well as her own.

"I can't calm down, Vanessa. My God, if something happens to her. If Edmund gets to her…I'll never forgive myself. I lost Lara. If I lose her too…I just…," Shayne stopped himself then. The thought was simply too much for him to bear. Vanessa tried desperately to keep from crying but in truth she was worried sick. If Edmund got to her daughter before they did, there was no telling what he might do to her.

* * *

Dinah heard a knock at the door. She stood and hesitated a moment. The only person that even knew she was her was her mother, but normally her mother would have called before coming, she thought. Not answering might look even more suspicious she thought, as she moved slowly towards the door.

"Who's there?" she called. Edmund smiled to himself, as he pulled the key out of his jacket pocket and slipped it into the lock. Opening the door and walking inside, he watched as Dinah stared at him and slowly backed up.

"Well hello, Dinah," he told her. "So nice to see you again."

Dinah watched Edmund as he slowly paced around the room.

"What are you doing here?," she asked when she finally trusted her voice enough to speak.

"Well, I thought I needed to come see how you were. Trying to kill someone can be very taxing," Edmund said with an evil grin. "Slight miscalculation on your part though, you ended up killing someone that looked a whole lot like me, but surprise, I'm still alive and well," he laughed.

"Aren't you lucky?," she said trying not to give away how terrified she truly was.

"Ok, Dinah," Edmund said, "Enough of the small talk. You and I have a long trip home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Dinah said with disdain.

Edmund reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small handgun.

"Oh, I think you are…and I think we're leaving right now," he said, putting the gun to her back and slowly guiding her towards the door.

* * *

"Edmund, stop it," Dinah hissed, "You don't think this is going to look a little suspicious?," she said through her gritted teeth.

"Not like this, cupcake," he said with a twisted grin as he wrapped his arm around her, "you do everything I say, just the way I say it or I will put a bullet through your spine."

Dinah looked at him, knowing very well that he was crazy enough to do just that. She didn't have a choice. She took a deep breath and walked beside him through the hallway, past the small service desk. When they reached the door, Dinah stopped.

"Someone's there," she said softly.

"It's fine," Edmund said pressing the gun into her back to indicate his seriousness, "Just keep walking."

Dinah forced a smile, nodded at the clerk by the door and walked out.

"Good day," Edmund said to the man and continued his walk out to the car. He smiled to himself. He finally had Shayne just where he wanted him.

* * *

Vanessa, Josh, and Shayne stormed into the lobby of the hotel. Shayne beat on the small bell on the desk. A hotel clerk quickly appeared, but claimed to know nothing of Dinah or where she might be.

"Please…," Vanessa begged him. "You must remember something. She was in room 702. Beautiful girl, thin, small frame."

The clerk thought for a moment, and as Vanessa watched a realization seemed to come into his eyes.

"Oh yes," he said, "I did see that woman. She left a little while ago..a man was with her."

Shayne stepped in front of Vanessa and leaned in close to the man, "Was she ok, was she hurt?," he said, his voice strained with worry.

"No, No…she seemed fine," the clerk said. "Man seemed nice enough. Waved and smiled, seemed like a high maintenance type though…you know the ones…had one of those accents."

Shayne looked at Vanessa, "Edmund," he said.

* * *

Edmund wrapped Dinah's wrists tightly behind her back as he slammed her into the seat of the small plane.

"Oh, stop struggling," Edmund growled at her, "You're just making this more difficult on yourself."

"Edmund," she said, trying desperately to reason with him, "Think about what you're doing. Shayne hates me right now. I lied to him. I let his mother go to jail. What makes you think this will bother him at all?" she said hoping against hope that she wasn't right.

"Oh, shut it, Dinah," Edmund demanded. "You're his wife. He loves you and in case you haven't noticed, Lewis men have trouble letting go of the women in their lives."

"Edmund, please…," Dinah said. Dinah looked at him, realizing that she was truly in serious trouble.

"Dinah, I have told you for the final time to shut up. If I tell you again," he sneered at her putting the gun up to her head, "I'll shut you up another way."

* * *

"Thank God there was a flight back tonight," Vanessa said, her voice shaking.

"I'd have chartered a plane if I'd had to," Shayne said. "I have to find her Vanessa. I can't let him hurt her. She's in this mess because of me. All of this is my fault. If I lose her…I lose everything."

Vanessa reached out to him. "Shayne, we have to believe that she's ok. You know Dinah. She's tough and she's smart. If anyone is a match for Edmund, it's her," Vanessa said trying to convince herself as well as Shayne.

"Vanessa's right son," Josh told him. "Dinah's a hell of a lot tougher than you're giving her credit for. She's been through a lot in her life. More than you even know and she's still here. She'll get through this."

"I'm just scared for her, that's all," Shayne said. "Edmund's crazy. He knows how much I love her and this is his sick way of getting back at me. He's not above using her to do it. I just hope she knows how much I love her…God I hope she knows."

* * *

"Owww…Edmund, you're hurting me," Dinah yelped.

"Shut up," Edmund said, not loosening his grip on Dinah's upper arm.

"Edmund, please, I mean it. Let me go!," she shouted.

With that Edmund slapped her hard across the face. Dinah struggled to keep from showing any emotion. If Edmund knew he could hurt her, it would bring him far too much pleasure. She could taste the blood from her lip, and she knew that Edmund was in rare form. He was clearly more stressed than normal and that meant he was dangerous, even more dangerous than usual.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?," Dinah said.

"Somewhere that should bring back memories," Edmund told her, "but don't worry, I'm going to make sure we have some company when we get there."

Dinah looked at Edmund. She didn't understand, but she could tell by the sick smile on his face that it wasn't anything good. "Edmund, what are you talking about? What are you going to do?"

Edmund said nothing, as he jerked Dinah out of the car. "Just move," he said, jamming the gun back into her back.

* * *

"We need to go to the police," Vanessa said.

"Right, because the police have helped us out so much so far," Shayne snapped. He looked up at Vanessa's face and immediately regretted his harsh words. He knew that she was just as worried about Dinah as he was and this was probably killing her.

"I'm sorry," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "I'm just…I don't know what to do." Vanessa nodded. She understood. She felt just as helpless. She had no idea what to do or where to go. What were they supposed to do now?

* * *

Edmund threw Dinah onto the ground and kicked at her, "Sit up," he demanded.

"Uhh," Dinah groaned as the impact of the fall took it's toll on her body. Normally Edmund's abuse was mental, but tonight she realized he was much more physical. Physical enough that she truly believed he could kill her. As she sat up she looked around.

"Oh God….," she said.

"What's wrong, Dinah. Not the romantic hotspot you expected?," he asked her?

"This is sick, even for you….," Dinah spat at him.

"Oh, I don't think so. They way I see it, you almost died here once, but there was someone here to save you. Tonight the ending will just be a little different," he told her. Edmund pulled out his cell phone and slowly started to dial.

* * *

"Did you get Mom?" Shayne asked Josh as he reentered the room.

"Yeah, she's fine. Phillip and Lillian are with her."

Shayne rubbed his face, "Good, that's good." He sat onto the couch and leaned back closing his eyes.

Josh sat down beside him, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. "What can I do, son?," he asked him.

Shayne opened his eyes to reveal the tears building, "Can you bring her back, Dad?"

"I wish I could, Shayne," Josh told him.

Shayne stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Vanessa said wiping her own eyes.

"I'm going to look for her," Shayne said. "I can't just sit here."

Vanessa and Josh both started to protest but before they could start Shayne heard the familiar ring of his cell phone.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked down at the screen. "I don't recognize the number," he said putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello," he said in a voice that revealed his worry and fatigue.

"Shayne," Edmund said with sing song voice, "So good to hear your voice."

"Edmund," Shayne said while making eye contact with both Vanessa and Josh.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Now…Now…that's a little rude, Shayne," Edmund said taunting him. "No, how are you Edmund…Good to hear from you too," Edmund continued with a twisted laugh.

"Let me talk to her," Shayne demanded.

"Talk to who," Edmund said playing innocent.

"You know who," Shayne said. "The man at the hotel told me she left with you. I know you have her. Let me talk to her. I just want to know that she's ok," Shayne said trying to keep his composure.

"Shayne…Shayne…Shayne…You are in no position to make demands right now, but you're in luck. I'm going to give you something I never had," Edmund said with a sneer.

"And what's that?" Shayne spat with disgust?

"A chance to say goodbye," Edmund said flatly.


	3. Chapter 3

Shayne's heart was in his throat. He couldn't speak. He kept hearing Edmund's words echoing in his mind.

"Edmund," Shayne said breathlessly, "whatever you're planning, please…," he started.

"Oh, Shayne, Shayne, Shayne, begging isn't becoming to you," he chirped. "Nothing you say will change my mind because you took away the most important thing in my life when you killed my daughter, and now I've got to repay the favor. It's as simple as that."

Shayne could barely stand upright. He had no idea what to say. How do you get through to someone like this, he thought.

"Please, Edmund, please. She didn't do anything wrong. I'll do whatever you want me to do for you. You wanna punish me. You wanna hurt me. Fine. Kill me. Hurt me, but please…please…leave her alone."

Shayne hated feeling so helpless and more than anything he hated giving Edmund the power of knowing that he had him in such a state, but Dinah was more important than his pride. He would do anything to save her.

"Edmund! Edmund, do you hear me. Say something…Please!," Shayne yelled into the phone. Suddenly he heard a voice.

"Shayne," she whispered.

"Dinah, baby, is that you?," Shayne said in a panic.

"It's me. I'm ok. Listen, I want you to know that I'm sorry."

Shayne couldn't let her continue. "Dinah..listen to me. I'm going to get you out of this baby. I just need to know where you are. Tell me where you are," he pleaded with her.

"You can't help me, Shayne. Don't come here. Whatever he says, don't."

Edmund jerked the phone from her hand and slapped her hard. Shayne heard the impact and cringed. He literally felt sick.

"Edmund, so help me God, if you've hurt her. I'll…."

"You'll what Shayne? What exactly will you do?," Edmund said knowing he had the upper hand.

Shayne stopped talking. Edmund was right. He had him exactly where he wanted him.

"Just tell me what you want me to do," Shayne said.

"There you go," Edmund chuckled, "I want you to come meet us here. Give you two a chance to have a last embrace. It's all so poetic."

Shayne took a deep breath.

"Where are you?," Shayne said with a strained voice.

"We're at the docks. Come meet us here. Just you. No one else. I'll be watching and if I see anyone else, hear anything else, suspect anyone else, I'll put a bullet between her eyes."

Shayne swallowed hard. "Please don't hurt her, Edmund," he said in a whisper.

"I won't, Shayne….At least not til you get here. Don't you worry. Neither of you will die alone."

* * *

Edmund roughly grabbed Dinah's arm and jerked her up.

Hearing her groan her sneered at her, "Oh quit being so dramatic."

"Edmund, don't bring Shayne into this," Dinah started. "You've got me here. Isn't that what you wanted? You wanted me to make him suffer right? Well you've done that. Let's just go." Dinah knew she was trying to reason with an unreasonable man.

"Not on your life. Your husband is going to come here all brave and self sacrificing prepared to put his life on the line to save yours and the fact is…" Edmund leaned in close to her so that she could feel his hot breath on her face, "neither of you are leaving this dock alive."

"Edmund," Shayne called out, walking around the docks. He saw movement in the distance and walked in to see Edmund standing there facing him.

"Shayne, so glad you could join us," Edmund said with disgust in his voice.

He moved to the side and Shayne saw Dinah sitting against a wooden crate. He could tell immediately that she needed help. Her face was cut and bleeding. Her breathing was quick and short.

"What the hell have you done to her?" Shayne yelled at him. Edmund pulled a gun from his jacket.

"Nothing compared to what I have planned. Now, why don't you go say hello?" Edmund sneered.

Shayne walked over to Dinah and brushed her hair away from her face. Tears streamed down her face.

"Baby, I…I…," Shayne didn't know what to say. How do you apologize for something like this?

"I'm so, so sorry," he told her.

"It's not your fault Shayne. Just go. Please. Leave me here," she pleaded.

"No," Shayne said, tears streaming down his own face, "I'll never leave you. We'll never be apart again. We're going to get out of this."

"Such ridiculous optimism," Edmund laughed.

"Shut up, Edmund," Shayne said.

Edmund walked over and kicked Dinah in the side. Shayne jumped to his feet and lunged at Edmund.

"Eh..Eh..", Edmund holding up the gun again, "see, that smart mouth of yours is going to end up getting your wife hurt. From now on instead of a kick, it's going to be a bullet."

* * *

Shayne watched as Edmund paced back in forth in front of he and Dinah. There was nothing he could do to help them and that drove him crazy. Every time he looked over at Dinah he left horrible. She looked broken and he could tell she was in great pain. Suddenly, Shayne heard a noise. Edmund turned to look into the distance and Shayne saw his only chance. He jumped to his feet and rushed Edmund. Edmund swung around quickly and cracked Shayne across the back of the head with the base of the gun. He feel to the ground with a sickening thud. Dinah screamed.

"Edmund, please stop it…"

Edmund walked over to Dinah and jerked her up, slamming her again and again into the wooden crates which were stacked against the wall. "I thought I told you to shut up."

Dinah felt her body going limp and she knew she couldn't take much more of this. She had one shot and one shot only.

Looking behind Edmund she screamed, "Shayne, No…!"

Edmund turned quickly to check Shayne's progression behind him. Dinah reached out and managed to gain control of the gun. Without any hesitation she pulled the trigger and discharged two bullets directly into his chest. His eyes widened as he fell backward. Dinah stood, frozen and unable to move.

"Oh God…Oh God…Oh God….What did I do…," she said in a voice she barely recognized as her own.

Shayne stirred a bit and managed to open his eyes. He saw Edmund lying on the ground and struggled to sit up. The sight of Dinah crumpled in a heap on the ground spurred him into action.

Running over to her side, he immediately began whispering, "It's ok, baby…It's ok…".

"I killed him, Shayne. I killed him."

Shayne turned her around so that she would face him. "Don't look at him. Look at me. Okay. Everything is ok. You're going to be ok."

He stroked her hair and kissed her face, trying desperately to calm her. "I need to check for a pulse," he told her.

"No..No..please don't leave me."

Shayne held her close to him, "Baby, I'm not going to leave you. I'm right here. I'm just going to walk right over here for a minute. I'll be right back."

Shayne walked over to Edmund and placed his fingers on his neck. Nothing. He was dead. He better be glad, Shayne thought. Death was too sweet of a reward for what he'd done to Dinah. Shayne walked back over to his shaking wife.

"Dinah, baby, he's gone. It's over."

Dinah collapsed into his arms.

"It's ok. We need to call the police now," he said softly still stroking her back softly.

Dinah jerked away quickly. "No, Shayne, please, we can't call the police."

* * *

Shayne sat there for a while holding his wife. She lay there sobbing in his arms and no matter what he didn't he couldn't get her to stop shaking. He rubbed soft circles across her back and shushed her softly.

"Dinah, sweetie, we have to call the police. No one is going to blame you for this. It's obvious what happened here."

"Please, Shayne, Please," she begged him, "They'll take me to jail I know they will. I can't go back to jail. I won't make it. I can't go to jail. I can't go to jail,".

Shayne realized that she was beyond reasoning at this point and simply put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Ok..Ok…we don't have to call the police now, but I need to call your mother and let her know you're ok."

Dinah allowed him to release his grasp on her as he dialed Vanessa's number.

"Vanessa," he said when his mother-in law answered the phone.

"She's ok, Vanessa. No…well, a little banged up, but I think she's ok. Edmund's gone. No..really gone, He's dead. We need to get the police out here, but"

Shayne turned and lowered his voice, "Dinah's really out of it at the moment. Can you call the station and get them to come out her to the docks, please?…Right…Right…Ok. Thanks. I'll tell her."

Shayne ended the call and walked back over to Dinah who was still hugging her knees to her chest. He put his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead again.

"It's going to be ok," he whispered.

"Shayne…." Dinah said weakly… "I…I….."

Shayne smoothed her hair and stroked her back. "It's ok, baby, you don't have to talk."

He thought he felt her relax then, and he rested his head on top of hers.

"I love you," he told her. "You know that don't you," Shayne waited for a response, and receiving none, glanced down at her…

"Dinah?", he said looking at her face. "Dinah!".

He removed his arm from behind her neck and watched in horror as her neck went limp.

Grabbing his cell phone, Shayne began to dial. "I need an ambulance out to the ferry docks. My wife is unconscious and I'm not sure if she's breathing."

Shayne desperately tried to feel for breath coming out of her nose or mouth, but he couldn't come up with anything. Her pulse was there, but it was weak.

"Please…Please hurry," Shayne pleaded.

* * *

Reva looked around the hospital waiting room. Vanessa, Billy, Bill, Lizzie, Josh, Mallet, Marina…so many people were here….waiting. She walked over to the small corridor that Shayne had been pacing for hours.

With great hesitation she placed her hand on his back, "Shayne, honey, why don't you come and sit down for a minute?"

Shayne jerked away from his mother. "I can't sit down, Mom! I can't sit here and wait. She's back there and I don't know what's going on! No one will tell me anything!" he screamed.

Reva's eyes welled with tears. Her son was hurting and she knew it, yet there was nothing she could do.

"I know, baby, I know…and I know you're scared, but you've got to take care of yourself here too. Dinah would want you to rest."

Shayne glared at her. "Dinah is here because of me. This is all my fault, Mom. She's hurt because of me. Edmund did this to her because of me. He got to me by getting her. How am I supposed to deal with that? If something happens to her…If she….God…If she…"

Reva grabbed him and pulled him into her arms. "Shhhhh…Don't say that. Don't say it. Dinah's tough. She's tough and she's strong. She can make it through this."

Shayne continued to sob in his mother's arms.

Marina reached over to touch Mallet's arm. The distance between them was obvious to everyone, but right now, she thought, he needed her.

"Hey," she said, "You ok?"

Mallet looked at her. "No, I'm not ok. I'm not ok with the fact that I'm here. I'm not ok with the fact that she's here. She doesn't deserve this, and I can't help but think…." he stopped himself then, placing his thumbs between his eyes and pressing hard.

"Think what?" Marina asked gently.

"I can't help but think that I'm the one that put her here," he said with his head lowered in shame.

"You?" Marina whispered, "Why would you say that?".

"Because," Mallet chocked out, looking up to meet his wife's gaze, "I'm the one that helped her get out town. I sent her away from here…away from anyone that could have protected her. If something happens to her, if she dies, it's my fault….."

Marina looked at her husband. She couldn't focus on the admission right now. "Mallet, this is not your fault. You didn't put Dinah here. I'm sure in your mind, you were trying to protect her," she told him, gently touching his arm.

"Yeah, I was trying to protect her, I just suck at it. The last time I tried to protect her, we ended up here….sitting in this very room…waiting to find out if she'd make it. And now, it's happened again. I let her down. I let her down again," he whispered.

* * *

Shayne stood outside the window, placing his hand on the cool glass. He knew she was in there, but the blinds were closed. He couldn't see her. He didn't know what was going on. He had no idea. What if they couldn't help her, he thought? Suddenly the door opened. A doctor emerged. Reva joined her son's side quickly, as Shayne wiped his face, and struggled to speak…

"Is she ok?"

The doctor looked at Shayne. "Mr. Lewis, your wife has some very serious injuries. There's a great deal of internal bleeding and we're having a difficult time finding the exact location of the bleed," he began.

Shayne couldn't process everything the doctor was saying, but it didn't sound good…

"So…So…So..what are you going to do. How are you gonna help her? Because..Because she's got to be ok…She's got." Shayne couldn't speak anymore. His voice wouldn't allow it.

The doctor spoke again. "The only option we have is to do take her into surgery to try to locate the bleed."

Shayne looked the doctor in the eye, "So, do it. Why are you out here talking to me? Get in there. Do it. Save her."

The doctor didn't move. "It's not that simple Mr. Lewis. We've going to need your consent. You see, your wife has lost a tremendous amount of blood, her blood pressure is low, her breathing and heart rate are irregular," he continued grimly.

Shayne shook his head. "So, what….What?!," he screamed at the doctor.

"This surgery is our only option. Without it, your wife will continue to bleed and she won't survive, but the surgery itself, is risky because she's not stable and there's a chance," the doctor stopped and looked at Shayne, "there's a real chance, she won't make it through the surgery, and even if she does, she might not wake up afterwards."

Shayne felt the tears on his face, but he didn't wipe them away. "But…you have to do it,right? Because, if you don't…she'll….."

The doctor nodded. "Without the surgery, she won't survive. With the surgery, she still may not, but it's the only option we have. We need your consent," he said, handing Shayne the clipboard.

Shayne looked over at his mother who was wiping away her own tears. Shayne scribbled his name onto the page.

"Please save her," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Shayne sat in the chapel. He didn't know what to say. He just sat there hoping God would know what was in his heart. Hearing movement at the back of the room he turned around.

"I can go," Mallet said after he realized Shayne was there.

"No, it's ok," Shayne said quietly. "You don't have to."

Mallet sat down a little further down the pew. "Your Mom filled me in on what's going on," Mallet said quietly.

"I'm..I'm just so…." Mallet couldn't even finish the sentence.

Shayne looked at him. He was one of the few people that knew what he was going through.

"Hey," Shayne started, "how did you do it?," Shayne said his voice earnest and breaking.

"Do what?," Mallet asked.

"How did you sit here and wait…wait to find out if she was ok….I can't do this, man. I can't just sit here. I mean, I wish it was me in there. I don't know what to do….," Shayne said trying desperately to keep the tears from falling.

Mallet shook his head, going back in his mind to that time.

"It was hell," he told him. "Shayne, I want you to know something. I wouldn't wish what you're going through now on my worst enemy. I remember the feeling of being helpless, of what you just said, of wishing more than anything in the world, that you could switch places with her, take away her pain. But we can't…," he continued.

"And I did a lot of what you're doing right now. A lot of praying, a lot of sitting….and more than anything, I loved her."

Mallet put his hand on Shayne's shoulder. "I loved that woman more than anything in the world and I can see by the look on your face that you love her just as much, and that's what you have to hold on to right now. When she makes it through the surgery…," Mallet said.

Shayne shook his head and started to speak.

"No," Mallet said, "When she makes it through, they're gonna let you go in there and sit with her and talk to her. You tell her that you love her. You tell her that you can't live without her, and you tell her that nothing else matters except her getting better and getting out of this hospital so that you can start your lives together."

Shayne nodded. "Thanks, Mallet." Mallet stood up and started to move.

As he walked out of the room, Shayne said quietly, "I'll tell her all that, and I'll tell her you're here."

Mallet nodded, "Thanks," he said as he exited.

* * *

Frank walked into the hospital and looked around. Marina stood and walked over to him.

"Dad, we don't know anything yet. Dinah's in surgery right now," she said quietly.

Frank looked at his daughter, "Where's Mallet?," he asked flatly.

"He uh, He went to the chapel. I think he needed some time alone. I actually think I'm going to go check on him because I think Shayne might be in there too".

Frank nodded. "No, don't worry about it. I'll go. I need to talk to Shayne anyway."

Marina nodded and sat back down. Frank moved to walk down the hall towards the chapel. He was met halfway by Mallet.

"Frank, man, what are you doing here," Mallet asked.

"I'm here to ask Shayne some questions," Frank said in a voice that told Mallet this was not a concerned personal visit.

"Frank, man, can't this wait. His wife is in surgery. They don't know if she's gonna make it and you're here to what…to grill him on what happened," Mallet said confused.

"I'm here to find out the truth Mallet. I'm here to do my job. I'm here to do the job you should've been doing," Frank snapped.

Mallet shook his head, "I've thought a lot of things about you Frank, but I've always thought you had a heart..until right now."

Mallet turned around and walked away.

Frank walked to the open door of the chapel and saw Shayne. He was just about to enter as he heard him speaking. He was obviously in tears, and Frank held back for a moment.

"Please, Please, don't take her. I know I've made mistakes in my life and I know I should have never let her go, but please, please don't make me pay for my mistakes like this. She's a good person. She really is. She wants to help people, and sure, she makes mistakes too, but she does it because she's trying to do the right thing. I just…I need her so much, so if you want to take somebody, you take me. Ok? I'll take her place. She doesn't deserve this. I deserve this. This should be me. I should be in that operating room. Not her. It shouldn't be her. Please…Please…"

Shayne fell to his knees and collapsed into sobs. Frank backed out of the room. He couldn't go in there. As he turned around he saw Mallet standing there.

"What are you doing?" Frank asked.

"Well, I was going to kick your ass if you went in there, but I'm glad to see I don't have to," Mallet said putting his arm around Frank and walking away from the chapel.

* * *

Hearing the operating room door open made everyone look up. The doctor emerged scanning the crowd for Shayne's face.

"He's in the chapel," Josh stated, "I'll go get him," he said as he made quick steps toward the chapel.

When Shayne returned the doctor was still standing, waiting. "Doctor, Doctor, please..please…", Shayne began.

"Mr. Lewis, your wife made it through the surgery," the doctor said with hesitation.

A loud sigh of relief escaped Shayne, "That's good, right…I mean, that's a good sign," he said trying to smile.

"In theory, yes," the doctor replied, "we were able to stop the bleeding, but we are concerned. She lost a lot of blood, Mr. Lewis, and it's possible that there are other issues that we could be dealing with."

Shayne took a deep breath. "Like…Like what?," Shayne said, his voice breaking.

"There's the risk of infection, that's always a concern with surgery, there's the risk of another bleed, and then…there's the chance that she just might not be strong enough to regain consciousness."

Shayne felt his eyes burning again, but he willed himself to speak, "So, the chances..what do you think?"

The doctor shook his head. "There's no way to know for sure. Once we get her moved into the unit, you can go in. The best thing to do is to talk to her, let her know you're there."

Shayne looked up at the doctor, trying to remain calm, "So, there's a chance then….there's still a chance…".

The doctor smiled and nodded. "There's always a chance, Mr. Lewis. Go talk to your wife. I've seen miraculous things happen."

Reva and Josh stood on either side of Shayne as he stood outside the door of the room.

"Are you ready to go in, son?", Josh asked.

"I think so," Shayne said taking a deep breath. "I just…I don't want to her to hear me upset. I don't want to scare her. She needs to believe that everything is gonna be ok," he said forcefully.

Reva placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "Son, you don't have to pretend. Just go in there and tell her how you feel. Let her know that you're here. That will be enough."

Shayne nodded and walked in the door as Josh clapped his hand on his back. Seeing her laying there brought tears to his eyes. She looked so small and frail, but still so beautiful, he thought. He pulled the chair at the table up beside her bed and took her hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. "I'm here now," he said with a raspy voice. "I love you, and I'm here."

* * *

Shayne sat beside her bed. He didn't know what to say. All he could do was sit there and hold her hand. He stroked her hair, but he was afraid that any touch might bring her pain. Her face was bruised and cut and every time he looked at her, he felt his anger seethe.

Thinking back to the time on the docks, remembering when he had kicked her, it physically made him sick. He shook his head to try and remove his mind from that dark place. He had to stay focused.

He brought her hand up to his face. "Hey, listen, I know you're really tired and you probably need the rest, but if you could just let me know that you can hear me…please, baby.." Shayne looked at her carefully, studying her for any sign of response. Nothing.

He sighed. "It's ok, baby. It's ok. I'm going to be right here until you wake up. It doesn't matter how long it takes. I promise. You'll never wake up without me by your side again."

It had been nearly two weeks and there had been no change. Vanessa, Remy, Reva, Josh, Bill, and Lizzie, all visited daily, but Shayne left to shower, change, grab food and come right back to the hospital room.

Once when he returned and Bill had stepped outside to take a phone call, Shayne had slammed him against the wall, "What if she opened her eyes while you were out?," he had screamed.

Bill had felt terrible. "I'm sorry man, but she didn't open her eyes. You know that," Bill had answered calmly.

"How do I know that?," Shayne had screamed, "How do I know that because there wasn't anyone there? No one was in there. She could've opened her eyes and thought no one cared….," Shayne ranted.

Bill had just looked at him.

Shayne had stopped screaming and said sadly, "You don't think she's ever going to wake up again, do you?" Bill hadn't answered, but he didn't have to. Shayne knew what he thought. He knew what all of them had been thinking. But he knew better. He knew she was coming back to him.

* * *

Shayne never tired of seeing her. It didn't matter to him whether she could respond or not. Something about just being in the room with her made him feel better. The nurses all knew him by name now and he had convinced most of them to talk to her when they were in doing exams. He insisted that she could hear them and, even though he thought most of them didn't believe it, they appeased him, or felt sorry for him. He wasn't sure which.

His morning routine was always the same. He'd come in, talk to her for a while, brush her hair, wash her face, rub lotion on her hands and feet, and read to her from the morning paper. He knew Dinah hated the sports section more than anything in the world, so sometimes he read that twice. He secretly hoped she'd open her eyes if for no other reason than to slap it out of his hands.

Shayne had finished his morning routine for the morning and was sitting by his wife's bedside holding her hand.

"No matter what they tell me," he said gently stroking her fingers, "I will never give up on you."

Shayne stood up and stretched his legs. "Listen, I'm going to get your Mom to stay here for a few minutes while I go get some coffee ok," he told her kissing her lips as he leaned over her. "I'll be back in just a little bit."

Sometimes he could handle looking at her. Sometimes he could walk out of the room without a problem, but today, for some reason it bothered him. He stood at the doorway, trying desperately to compose himself. He couldn't go out there like this. He was getting enough coddling from his family as it was.

Dinah could sense his presence still in the room. She knew he'd been here for hours on end, but she had no idea how long it had been. She'd lost track of days and weeks long ago. She struggled to open her eyes and finally, she did. As she tried desperately to focus, the light above assaulted her pupils. She fought and focused on Shayne's back still standing in the doorframe at the other end of the room.

"Hey," she said in a barely audible whisper.

Shayne rubbed his hand over his face. He knew he was tired. He hadn't been sleeping enough, He'd barely been sleeping at all, but moments like these, he really worried about himself. He would tell anyone that he'd heard his voice, but, he reasoned, he just wanted to hear it so badly.

"Hey," Dinah whispered again, fighting the pain that ripped through her throat every time she struggled to speak.

Shayne slowly turned around to look at his wife and, had it not been for the door frame, he never would have remained standing.

"Dinah…baby…," he said, "you're awake."

Dinah smiled a weak smile, "Hi, you think I can get a word in now?," she said quietly as Shayne quickly closed the distance between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Shayne sat beside the bed kissing her constantly, "I'm sorry," he told her backing off to give her a little space. "I'm sorry. I just….you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Shayne told her tears streaming down her face.

Dinah smiled at him and struggled to lift her hand to his face. Slowly she brushed the tears away. "I…I…," she grimaced. Her throat was raw and painfully dry.

"What's wrong," Shayne said with concern.

"My throat," Dinah said gesturing to her neck and placing her hand over her throat.

Shayne stood and walked over to the small rolling table. "Here," he told her, gently holding a straw to her mouth. The cold water was such a shock that she cringed, but she forced herself to continue, and in a moment, she was able to find her voice again.

Shayne quickly returned to her bedside and took her hand. "I was so worried about you. I was so afraid that I'd never be able to talk to you again, that I'd never be able to tell you all the things I needed to say. I was so stupid to let you go. None of it matters. The only thing that matters now…the only thing that ever should have mattered is us," he said as he stroked her hair.

Dinah took every word in. She couldn't have hoped to hear anything better from him. "I love you so much," she told him.

Shayne reached out and cupped her face in his hands, "I love you too," he said, his own voice cracking with the depth of his emotion. "I was so afraid I would never be able to say that to you."

Dinah shook her head. "Just don't think about it now," she told him.

Shayne nodded at her and kissed her hand. "I need to go get the doctors and let them know that you're awake. They'll need to come in and take a look at you."

Shayne stood and took a look at her again, "Promise me that you'll still be awake when I get back," he said, only partly kidding. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere."

The doctors came in quickly. Residents and nurses were all coming in to see the event which they all never expected would happen.

"Is she ok? I mean does everything look ok?," Shayne asked the doctor.

"Everything looks good so far," he told him. "Physically it looks pretty good. We're going to ask some questions…check for things like cognitive functioning and if all that goes well, I think we can safely say she's out of the woods."

Shayne nodded, "thank you," he said shaking the doctors hands.

"Now then," the doctor started turning his attention to Dinah, "Can you tell me your name…" Dinah looked at the doctor..

"It's Dinah," she said.

"Last name," the doctor continued. Dinah hesitated. She wasn't sure. She looked down at her hands. The ring wasn't there. She looked over at Shayne whose face was filled with concern. Was something wrong, he thought. Did she not remember.

The doctor came closer to the bedside. "Dinah, do you know your last name."

Dinah nodded. "It's just…I don't know…I don't…."

Shayne realized what was going on. He looked at her, reached into his pocket and grabbed her hand. "They wouldn't let me put these on you until they figured out the extent of your injuries, but I think it's ok now," he told her.

Dinah's eyes filled with tears. "Dinah Lewis," she said to the doctor. "My name is Dinah Lewis."

* * *

Shayne stood outside the door and watched as Bill and Lizzie talked with Dinah. He'd finally agreed to leave so that the rest of her family could have some time alone.

"I'll be back," he'd whispered, "then we have the rest of our lives." In truth, Shayne was grateful for the few moments alone. He needed to get in thoughts in order, to figure out how to say everything that was in his mind, everything that was in his heart.

Josh saw his son standing alone and walked over to him, putting his arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer for a brief hug. "I'm so happy for you, son," he said quietly.

Shayne looked up at his father, "Thanks, Dad."

Josh studied Shayne for a moment. There was something weighing on him. He could tell. "You want to talk about it," he asked him quietly.

Shayne looked up. "Huh," he said.

"Whatever it is…you can talk to me," Josh said, smiling, "I'm your Dad, and I can tell something is bothering you."

Shayne lowered his head a little and rubbed the nape of his neck, "I just don't know what to say to her Dad. I mean, my God, I almost lost her. She could have, Edmund could have….and it would have been because of me. I let her go. I said horrible things to her, Dad. I told her that I didn't know who she was and I turned my back to her. That could have been the last things I was able to say to her. How do you make something like that up to a person. How do you even begin to apologize for that?," Shayne said, his voice full of emotion.

Josh shook his head. "You know son, we all do things and we say things that we wish we could take back, but life doesn't work that way. Sometimes, if we're really lucky, we get second chances, sometimes even third chances, but what's important is that we take advantage of them. Dinah understands making mistakes, and I know that if you're honest with her about how you feel about what happened and more importantly, how you feel about her, that she'll understand."

Shayne looked up at his father, his eyes pleading, "You really think so, Dad?".

Josh smiled at his son and clapped his hand on his back, "I do, son. Now why don't you go in there and be with your wife."

* * *

As the family left the room, Shayne took his familiar place by Dinah's bedside. He took her hand and studied her face. "Are you tired," he asked her.

"No," she said, smiling at him, "I've had enough sleep lately."

Shayne lowered his head and stared at the empty space beside her on the bed.

Dinah reached up and stroked the side of his face, "Hey, Hey, what is it? What's wrong?," she asked softly.

When he raised his face, she was shocked to see tears. "I just, I feel so guilty for getting you involved in this whole mess with Edmund. You could have been killed."

"Shayne, stop it. This is not your fault. Edmund is sick. He's crazy. There's nothing you could have done to stop what happened, and there's no way you could have known what he was planning," she said, trying desperately to stop this cycle of self-degredation before it began.

"No, you're wrong. I should have known. Edmund knew how much you mean to me, and I should have been able to reason that he would have gone after you, but I didn't. I didn't because I was so damn worried about my own stupid pride. I was so angry at you because you didn't tell me everything that went on. Never once did I think about what you were going through or what your reasons were. My God, you saved my son's life and I never even thanked you for it," Shayne said, his guilt pouring out.

Dinah just shook her head. "Shayne, please don't do this to yourself. This is not your fault. You had every right to be angry with me. I should have been honest with you."

Shayne looked up at her, "But I should have been a big enough man to accept what you told me and worked through things with you. I should have never let you walk out that door. I married you and then I let you walk out the door. I'm your husband. I'm supposed to love and protect you no matter what and so far I've turned my back on you and almost gotten you killed. What kind of a person does that make me?,"

Dinah looked at Shayne and took a deep breath. She pulled herself up on the pillows and took both of his hands in hers. "You are the man that I love. Everything I've done, Everything you've done. It's in the past. This…This is our present and I couldn't be happier than to be spending it with you." Shayne's eyes met hers and he could see how genuine she was. She loved him and he loved her and that was all that mattered.

Carefully, he climbed up onto the bed to pull her into his arms. Kicking off his slip on shoes, he slipped under the covers, "My feet might be a little cold, sorry," he said in a whisper.

All he received in response was silence. Shayne looked up to see Dinah's face looking down.

"Baby, what's wrong," he asked. Dinah's eyes were wide and she seemed frightened.

"Shayne, I can't feel that," she said softly.

"Feel what, baby," Shayne asked her his own worry growing.

"Your feet..I can't feel them. I can't feel my legs, Shayne."

* * *

Dinah's breath seemed to catch in her throat.

He could feel her shaking. "Calm down, baby. It's gonna be ok," Shayne said trying desperately to remain calm.

He sat up slowly keeping his arm around her shoulders. "Let me go get a doctor to come look at you." Shayne walked out of the room quickly, placing his back against the wall. He looked from side to side down the hall.

Seeing the doctor coming out of the exam room he approached him, "Excuse me doctor, my wife…I need you to come see my wife."

The doctor looked at Shayne calmly, "Mr. Lewis, I was planning to come see your wife in just a bit. I've got a couple more patients."

"No! You don't understand," Shayne said, feeling his voice raising despite his attempts to be calm, "her legs…she can't feel her legs. Please come…please help her."

Shayne stood at the back of the room as the doctor stood examining Dinah.

Carefully, he pulled back the covers and used a small device to test for any sensation. Shayne's heart grew heavier with each "No," he heard Dinah utter.

The doctor looked at her. "Mrs. Lewis, you had a great deal of internal injuries. The swelling, the bruising, the bleeding, all of that could be contributing to the loss of sensation in your lower extremities. I know that this is incredibly difficult, but we're going to need to run some more tests. Until then, please try not to worry."

Shayne stepped to the other side of the bed to grab hold of Dinah's hand, "So, doctor, this could all be temporary, right? When the swelling goes down and the bruising heals, there's a chance this could work itself out?"

The doctor looked at Shayne, "That is possible. We won't know anything until we see the results of these tests," he said trying desperately to be honest.

Dinah looked up at the doctor, "And it's also possible I could never walk again isn't it?," she asked quietly.

The doctor met her gaze, "Unfortunately, that is a possibility we have to consider," he told her.

* * *

Shayne sat outside the her room in silence. She had been gone for an hour or so, but it felt like forever.

Josh stepped over to his son, "You ok, son?," he asked, completely unaware of what the last few hours had brought.

"No, Dad, I'm not ok," Shayne said, barely unable to keep from breaking down. "Dinah can't feel her legs," he said quietly.

Josh looked at his son and put his arm around him. "I'm sorry, son. Have they taken her for tests or something?," he asked him.

"Yeah," Shayne said, finally allowing the tears that had been building to fall. "Dad, I just don't know what to do. She's so scared and I don't know how to make that go away."

Josh shook his head, "You know son, I think she's going to be afraid. That's normal and natural and it's your job to let her know that it's ok. You're here for her and that's everything you can do right now."

Shayne looked up at his father, "I feel like we just had this conversation when I was afraid she might not wake up and then, she woke up and I thought my prayers were answered. And now….," Shayne just shook his head.

Josh put his hands on his son's shoulders, "Listen to me Shayne, your prayers were answered. Dinah's alive. Does it matter to you how she looks?"

Shayne looked up at his father, "No," he said.

"Right," Josh said, "You tell her that. You let her know that you'll love her and be there for her no matter what life throws at you and that will be enough."

* * *

Shayne stood holding the door as the orderly wheeled Dinah's bed back into the room. As they got her settled, he moved back to his position by the side of the bed. Gently taking her hand in his, he said, "You know, everything is gonna work out."

Dinah's eyes welled up in tears, "What if it isn't, Shayne. What if it isn't ok. What if I never walk again."

Shayne looked at her. This is what his father meant. This was when it counted. When he had to make sure she knew exactly how he felt. This was when it mattered most.

Dinah looked at him with fear in her eyes. She'd put him through so much already. How much could she expect him to take? He'd forgiven her for what she'd done, and now, just when they had a chance to start over, to have a life together, now it could all be over.

Shayne leaned in closer to hear and gently kissed her forehead. "This," he said, gesturing to Dinah's legs, "is going to be ok."

Dinah shook her head, "You don't know that," she said tearfully.

"I do know that," he told her, taking her hand again, "I know that because no matter what happens. Whether the feeling in your legs comes back today or tomorrow or a year from now, I'll still be here."

Dinah felt the tears hit her face. "Shayne," she said, "You don't need to say that. You have no idea what will happen from here. I could never walk again….this is not what you signed up for."

Shayne shook his head, "What?," he told her, his voice quivering, "do you honestly think that I would walk away from you because of this. That I wouldn't stand beside you through this?"

Dinah eyes were downcast, "I don't expect you too. This is a lot. I mean, you married a woman who was independent and spontaneous, a woman that you wanted to walk through the park with, and fly kites with. A woman you wanted to have children with and go traveling with, climb mountains, remember? What if all that is just a dream now? What if I can't do any of that anymore?"

Shayne shook his head. "We will still do all of that. I still believe that this isn't permanent he told her, but if it is, our dreams will be a little different. That woman that I married is right in front of me. That beautiful, spontaneous, smart, funny, amazing woman that I married is right here," he told her kissing her hand softly. "We'll still go the park and fly kites. We'll have children and travel, and do all those things."

Dinah allowed her eyes to meet his,, "What about the mountain?," she asked with a small smile.

"Well, I might have to carry you up that mountain," he said leaning in for a kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Dinah looked up as she heard her hospital room door open. She had finally convinced Shayne to go home and get some sleep. It meant so much to her that he wanted to be there with her, but she didn't want to be a burden. Seeing her mother there brought a sigh of relief. She loved being with Shayne, but she didn't want to feel like she was controlling his life.

Vanessa walked over to her daughters bedside and gently kissed her cheek. "Hello, sweetheart, how are you?".

Dinah smiled at her mother. "At this point Mom, I really don't know."

Vanessa pulled the small chair closer to the side of the bed and took a seat. "Are you and Shayne ok?," Vanessa asked cautiously.

Dinah took a breath. "He's so worried about me, Mom," she said quietly.

"Of course he is sweetheart," Vanessa told her slowly stroking her hair, "He loves you."

Dinah looked up at her mother. "Can I ask you something," she said softly.

"You can ask me anything," her mother replied gently patting her hand.

"When you were sick, you said you left because you thought you'd be a burden, right?"

Vanessa shook her head. She knew where this was going and she also knew that she had to make Dinah understand how her situation was so different.

"Dinah, now you listen to me. I was told I was going to die. My disease was a complete unknown. They didn't know anything about it…only that the prognosis was bad…very bad. Your situation is completely different. First of all, there's every reason to hope that you'll recover and be just fine. Secondly, you have a man in your life that wants to be right here by your side no matter what." Vanessa looked at her daughter carefully.

Dinah just shook her head sadly. "I know, Mom. That's the problem. He'll stay by my side no matter what. No matter what it costs him. No matter what dreams he has to give up. I don't want him to give up his life to help me. He deserves a full, happy life and he deserves to live it with a full wife. I don't want to be broken. I don't want to live my life based on the things I can manage on my own. I don't want to have to be assisted and helped and considered every day. I just want to be whole again, and if I can't be that. I want Shayne to have that with someone else."

"Why don't you let me decide that," Shayne said sternly as he entered the room.

"Shayne," Dinah said with surprise, "How long have you been there?". "Long enough," Shayne said.

Turning his attention to Vanessa he spoke calmly, "Vanessa, can you give us a moment please, we need to get some things straight."

* * *

Vanessa walked out of the room giving Shayne a quick shoulder squeeze as she passed.

As Shayne approached the side of the bed, Dinah attempted to turn away from him, but she was unable to get her lower body to cooperate. Seeing her struggle,

Shayne gently put his hand on her leg, "Hey stop it," he said gently.

"It's like they're not even there," she sobbed.

Shayne leaned in closer to her, "What?," he said genuinely confused.

"My legs, I can't feel them. I see your hand there, but I can't feel it."

Shayne looked down, and moved his hand to her face, "Can you feel that," he said softly wiping away her tears.

"Shayne, please….," Dinah began.

"No," Shayne said firmly, "I heard what you said to your mother…all that nonsense about being a whole person, and not wanting me to give up on my dreams."

Dinah looked at him an softly spoke, "It's not nonsense, Shayne. It's the truth. Your life will not be what you hoped if I never walk again. We can't do the things we wanted. It's just not possible," she said sadly."

Shayne took her hand and held it in his. "I want you….and whatever comes with you. When they brought you in this hospital, and they took you to surgery, they told me you might not make it through, that you might never wake up. So, I prayed and I asked God to bring you back to me, and he did. All of the dreams that I have…I still want those things, but the common thread in all of them is you. It's not about the things we do. It's that we do them together," he told her, his own voice breaking occasionally.

"Shayne, I don't want you to settle," Dinah said, still feeling her own tears streaming down her face.

"Settle?, Baby, I feel like the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I was stupid enough to let you walk away from me once, and I got you back, I could have lost you right here in this hospital, and you came back to me, third time's a charm," Shayne said with a smile.

A light knock at the door interrupted the conversation. "Mr and Mrs. Lewis, I'm sorry to interrupt," the young doctor said as he stepped inside, "but I need to speak with you both. We have the results of the tests."

* * *

Shayne reached over to grab Dinah's hand as the doctor pulled a chair to the opposite side of the bed.

"So, what did the tests show?," Dinah asked, the anxiety clearly present in her voice.

"Mrs. Lewis, there really aren't any simple answers, but I think we need to start with the positives. There are no indications of any spinal fractures. What the tests do show is a great deal of inflammation. That, coupled with the swelling and bruising, is almost certainly what is leading to the loss of sensation in your legs," the doctor said calmly.

"So, what does that mean," Shayne asked, looking over at Dinah, "Can you fix that?".

"Well, that's where things aren't so simple. There are a lot of different things we can try. There are medications that can reduce the inflammation and sometimes the inflammation can decrease on its own with time. The swelling and bruising will reduce with rest. The goal is to lessen the swelling, reduce the inflammation, and reassess the situation then," the doctor replied.

"And then, what…," Dinah asked, "Then, we'll know..how long will that take?"

"As I said, there's no indication of any permanent damage, which is wonderful news. We'll try the medication first coupled with rest and elevation of the affected areas. Hopefully we will see some results from that, and if we do, we can start to work towards some physical therapy."

Shayne looked up at the doctor quickly. "You think she'll need physical therapy?".

The doctor nodded, "Generally with situations such as these, even when the body recovers physically, there are some issues getting the muscle response back in check. Physical therapy is generally very effective."

Dinah looked at Shayne and then back at the doctor, "Be honest with me," she said bluntly, "How long will it be before I know something?"

The doctor reached over and patted her hand reassuringly, "We should see the results from the medication in a few days, and if that happens, we can start some PT by the end of the week. Best case scenario, we could be looking at you getting back on your feet in 4-6 weeks," the doctor replied.

"And worst case scenario," Dinah asked.

The doctor nodded, "If there's no reduction in the inflammation, there are other options, but there is almost always some permanent loss of functioning. But," the doctor told her smiling, "Let's think positive, your test results look promising. Let's go with that for now."

* * *

Shayne leaned over to kiss Dinah's forehead and gently helped her arrange the pillows behind her back. "Can I get you anything," he asked her.

"No," she said, smiling at him, "I've got everything I need right here," she said reaching out to take his hand.

"The doctor seemed hopeful don't you think," she said checking for Shayne's reaction.

"Absolutely, I do," he told her, "I told you everything was going to be fine. But I've gotta admit I'm a little disappointed," he said trying to supress his mischievous grin.

"Disappointed, why?," Dinah said confused. "Well, we had so much fun when I was in the chair, I was kind of looking forward to sitting in your lap," he told her flashing a charming smile.

Dinah reached up and slapped him on the shoulder, "Funny," she said with a smile, "I'll make you a deal," she said, "I'll let you crawl up here with me and we can make out in the hospital bed," she said returning the mischievous smile.

"hmmmm…interesting. I'll take that trade," he told her, carefully easing himself up onto the vacant space beside her and leaning in for a passionate kiss.

Later that evening, Shayne lay awake with Dinah in his arms. "You awake," he said quietly.

"Yeah," she said in a whisper, craning her neck to look up at him. "Everything ok," she asked.

"Yeah," he said, brushing her hair away from her face, "I just don't know if I've told you how grateful I am that you're ok."

Dinah smiled sweetly at him, "only a few thousand times," she said quietly.

"I just…I mean…Before all this, when you were away. I thought about you every day. I wished that you were here. I was a wreck. It was like when you left, you took a part of me with you and without it, I didn't know how to live anymore," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Dinah leaned her head closer to his chest. Just being close to him made her feel safe. "It was the same for me," she told him. "Day after day I'd sit there and wonder what you were doing, who you were with, and why it couldn't be me. I was so miserable without you. It was as if my life ended when I walked out your door."

Shayne looked at her. "I love you so much, you know that don't you," he asked her quietly.

"I know," she told him. "I love you too. I love you more than I ever thought was possible."

Shayne leaned in carefully and kissed her forehead. "When we get out of here, I want to have a wedding. Not that our wedding wasn't perfect…. it was, but I want us to have a big, beautiful, massive party of a wedding, a kick off for the big, beautiful life we're going to have together. How does that sound?"

Dinah smiled at him. "It sounds like I've got some wedding plans to make," she said returning his kiss.

* * *

Shayne awoke with a shock at the sound of a crash. Rising from the recliner in the corner of the room he quickly rushed over to Dinah who was keeping herself up on the bed by holding the railing.

"Baby, what happened?," Shayne said, his voice full of concern.

Dinah eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I just wanted some water," she said tearfully as Shayne helped her back up onto the bed.

"Why didn't you call me," Shayne asked her.

"Because," Dinah said a little annoyed with herself. "I just wanted to be able to something for myself,"

Shayne looked at her gently taking her hand. "Baby, this isn't forever. Just for right now, I'm here to help you do these things. I want to help. You know you're not bothering me."

Dinah felt the fat tears slide down her face, "I'm just tired of feeling like I'm messing up your life."

Shayne sighed, "You're not messing anything up. Here," he said handing her a cup of water.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Shayne gently wiped away the wet paths her tears had traced down her face. "Listen, tomorrow the doctor is going to come and he's going to tell us the medicine is working and that you can start the physical therapy soon. I just know it."

Dinah raised her eyes to meet her husband's. "How can you be so sure?," Dinah asked.

"Because, if I know anything about you, it's that you're a fighter, and that you don't give up. You haven't given up before and you won't give up now. Your body just isn't built that way," he said gently kissing her hand.

"You always know just what to say," she said softly.

* * *

Shayne sat beside Dinah holding her hand. She had been silent for quite a while and he could tell she was incredibly anxious. "Baby, are you ok," Shayne said softly.

Dinah let out a shaky sigh, "I just wish the doctor would come in. I mean, if the medicine isn't working then we need to do other things and I think we need to hurry…"

Shayne squeezed her hand. "I'm sure the doctor knows what he's doing and he'll be here soon." No sooner had Shayne finished his sentence did the door open. The young doctor walked into the room.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis," he said cheerfully, looking up from the chart he was holding in his hand.

"Good morning," Dinah said quickly, "what do the results say. Is the medicine working."

The doctor looked back at the charts and back at Dinah. Shayne reached over to put his arm around her feeling her beginning to shake.

"Good news Mrs. Lewis, the inflammation is down considerably." Shayne and Dinah both let out huge sighs of relief.

"Did you hear that baby," Shayne said kissing her forehead. "It's working. You're going to be back on your feet in no time."

The doctor raised his hand, "Mr. Lewis, I don't want you getting ahead of yourselves. The medicine is definitely working and we have every reason to believe that your wife will regain the use of her legs, and it's very possible you could start to experience some sensation in your legs and feet almost immediately, but it could take weeks even months for her to be able to walk again."

Dinah looked up at the doctor, "Right, you said that before, but you do think I will, right?".

The doctor smiled at her, "Yes, Mrs. Lewis. Your results give me every reason to believe you'll be able to walk again." He scribbled a something on a notepad, tore off three separate pieces of paper, and handed them to Shayne. "The first sheet is for the medication you'll need to take. The instructions will be printed on the bottle. The second sheet is for the physical therapy. You'll be able to come to the hospital to have your therapy. We'll start off with three times a week for now, and the third is for a the wheelchair. You can pick it up for the medical supply store on Beech Avenue," the doctor said busily making notes on the chart.

"Wait," Dinah said, "a wheelchair?"

"Yes," the doctor said, looking up at her, "You're making great progress, Mrs. Lewis, but in order to be mobile in your home, you'll need assistance and you'll need a wheelchair."

Shayne rubbed her shoulder supportively as the doctor quickly nodded to them and exited the room.

* * *

"Tell me what's going on, Dinah," Shayne said, seeing her eyes welling up.

"I just never wanted to leave this hospital in a wheelchair," Dinah said.

"Baby, it's not forever. You heard the doctor. He's very hopeful that this will be temporary. He said you'll probably be walking in a few weeks. The chair is just to help you out for now," Shayne said gently stroking her back.

"I just feel like I'm more and more trouble for you," she said quietly.

Shayne put a hand on each of her shoulders, "I don't want to hear you say that again. I love you. There's nothing in this entire world that I wouldn't do for you. I just want to be with you. Nothing you could ever do and nothing that could ever happen will change that. Don't you know that?," Shayne asked, a little hurt that she still doubted his devotion to her.

Dinah could see that her reluctance upset him. "I'm sorry. Just promise me something, ok?," she said trying to keep from breaking into a sob.

"I'll promise you anything," Shayne said smiling at her.

"Promise me that if you ever feel like you're trapped, that you'll tell me…promise me that you'll never stay with me out of obligation."

Shayne looked at her and reached up to touch her face. "I can make you a promise right now. I will love you and want to be with you until the day that I die….and nothing and no one will ever change that."

* * *

"What are you doing?," Dinah giggled as Shayne scooped her up out of her chair.

"I'm just helping you out," he told her smiling.

"Uh huh," Dinah said grinning at him, "So, I shouldn't think a thing of the fact that you're helping me out by putting me in the our bed."

"Do you honestly think that the first I'd think of when I got you home from the hospital is getting you into bed?," Shayne said in mock offense.

Dinah shook her head with a knowing smile.

"You know me too well," he said climbing in bed beside her and looming over her for a passionate kiss.

"God I missed this," Shayne said softly while Dinah laid in his arms.

"Me too," Dinah said softly. "I've always felt so safe when I was in your arms, " she whispered as she gently rubbed soft circles across his chest.

Shayne put his hand over hers and brought it to his lips. "You are you know," he said, "I know I made some mistakes, but I promise you, I'll never take you for granted again. I know what I have here and I never want to experience my life without you again," he told her kissing the top of her head lightly.

"Shayne," Dinah said lifting her head to rest her chin on his shoulder, "we do need to talk about things you know. As much as I would love to forget everything that happened, we can't just bury everything that happened."

Shayne looked down at her. "I'm not burying anything. I've just realized a lot while you've been gone. I realized that no matter what you did it didn't change the way I felt about you. I realized that no matter how hard I tried to be ok that I couldn't ever be ok, because without you there is no ok for me. But, maybe most importantly, I realized that every dream I have for my life has you in it. Without you, I have no dreams. I have no life. I have nothing. You were…you are the reason I get out of bed in the morning and what you did just isn't nearly as important as why you did it," he said making sure to keep eye contact with her.

"Why I did it?," she asked her voice shaky.

"Yeah, you did this, all of this because you were protecting my family and, sure, I wish things had turned out differently, but if someone had been coming after you, I would have done the same thing…probably worse, and I can't promise you that I would told you everything either. I would have wanted to protect your feelings and I wouldn't have wanted you to feel responsible for that."

Dinah felt the tears flowing, "You understand?," she said through her tears.

"I do," Shayne said, "and I'm sorry for not understanding sooner."

"It's ok," Dinah said, snuggling into him closer. "I'm just glad this is over."

"It is over," Shayne said kissing her forehead, "Now we get to start the rest of our lives."


	7. Chapter 7

Shayne rolled over and slapped the snooze button on his alarm. Rubbing his eyes, he reached over to his wife's side of the bed and smiled when he felt her curled up beside him. Turning onto his side, he curled along side her back and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Good morning," she said, sleepily.

"It is a good morning," he said kissing her and smiling as she looked back. "Any morning that I get to wake up next to my beautiful wife is a good morning."

Dinah turned her upper half towards Shayne, and with his assistance, turned her body towards him. "You know, I think when I was away this is one of the things I missed most of all," she said thoughtfully, "just laying her with you in the morning and feeling you next to me. Knowing that no matter what was going on outside in the world that as long as we were right here, the rest of the world could just fade away."

Shayne stroked her face, "I want our whole life to be like that. I want us to always feel like as long as we have each other the world could fall down around us and it wouldn't matter," he told her leaning in closer with each word.

"Sounds perfect to me," she said softly initiating a soft, sweet kiss.

"Can you help me get some clothes on," Dinah said with a smile. "I've got to be at the hospital for my first PT session in about an hour."

Shayne smirked, "I haven't had much practice helping you get dressed…now undressed, I can do…I'm good at that."

Dinah laughed at that, "Later….we'll see how that goes later, but for now, I need to get some clothes on and get to the hospital because the quicker I get the PT, the quicker I get out of that chair and the quicker I can get back to being the woman you married," she said pushing up with her arms to reach his lips.

"Baby, I've told you a hundred times, you are every bit the woman I married," he said returning the kiss easily.

"I know that, but I want to be able to do all the things we dreamed of. I want to climb that mountain…not that being carried wouldn't be fun, but walking beside you and holding your hand sounds like a good time too."

* * *

Shayne pushed Dinah into the PT room and stopped. He looked around the room and then back down at Dinah.

A young woman dressed in brightly colored scrubs came around the corner smiling. "Hi, you must be Dinah Lewis," she said cheerfully.

Dinah forced herself to smile. She was really trying to be positive, but this was proving to be far more difficult than she anticipated. Shayne hadn't missed how tense she'd seemed or how quiet she'd been in the car. He removed one hand from the handles of the wheelchair and placed it softly on her shoulder.

"I'm Morgan," the young woman said, "I'm one of the lead physical therapists here at the hospital,". She looked up at Shayne, "You must be Mr. Lewis," she said extending her hand out to him.

"Just call me Shayne," with a smile, making sure to keep one hand on Dinah at all times.

Morgan looked back at Dinah. She could tell she was nervous. Carefully, Morgan knelt down to make eye contact, "Dinah, I know this is difficult. At first, most patients feel overwhelmed, but I've already looked over your charts and your tests results are very encouraging. I promise you that we're gonna do everything we can to get you out of this chair," she said smiling at her.

Dinah nodded and reached her hand up to touch Shayne's. "Are you gonna stay?," she asked him.

Shayne stood towards the back of the room. He wanted to be here for Dinah, but he also didn't want to get in the way. Watching Morgan work with her, he couldn't help but feel responsible. No matter how many times he tried to push the thought out of his mind, he still came back to the simple fact.

She was in that chair because of him. Edmund had come after her because of him. She could have died because of him. He felt the familiar sting of tears burning his eyes. He shook his head trying to rid his mind of these disturbing thoughts. He remembered all to well how it felt to be stuck in a chair, to feel helpless, to feel dependent.

He had hated every minute of it….every minute until Dinah came into his life. She had reminded him that his life was worth something. She had given him a reason to fight. She had saved his life. She had saved him and he couldn't save her. He mentally willed himself not to go there. He didn't save her then, but he could make sure he saved her now. He could save her from going down the same angry, depressed road he did. That was something he knew he could handle.

* * *

Shayne watched as Morgan helped Dinah back into the wheelchair. He quickly made his way over to his wife.

Morgan smiled at Shayne, "We're all set for today," she said cheerfully, then, turning her attention to Dinah, she said, "You did a fantastic job. We've got a great start. The most important thing about injuries like these is to prevent any muscle atrophy until we can get the sensation back in your extremities."

Dinah nodded at her, "Thanks so much for your help," she said.

Shayne placed his hand on his wife's back, and looked over at the young woman, "I can't tell you how much we appreciate how quick you were able to get started," Shayne told her, "Is there anything I can do to help her? Anything we can do at home," he asked glancing down at Dinah.

Morgan smiled, "Dinah has the routines down pretty well already. She's a quick study. You can work on the leg lifts any time and stretching is always helpful. Other than that, be supportive, which I can see you are, and most importantly, talk to each other…don't ever be afraid to tell your husband what you're feeling," Morgan said directing the last comment to Dinah, "I've seen lots of couples come in and out of here, Mrs. Lewis, and rarely do I see a husband as caring and devoted as yours is. You two have something very important here and that will be one of the biggest advantages to you during your recovery."

"You hungry?," Shayne asked as they rode down the road leading away from the hospital.

"Yeah, a little," Dinah said softly, "got anything particular in mind?," she asked.

"Hmmm," Shayne muttered, "Well, I could always go for a Buzz Burger," he said glancing over at Dinah for her reaction.

Dinah smiled at him, "That does sound really good," she said happily. In a matter of moments the two were pulling into the driveway of Company. Shayne made quick work of the wheelchair and gently lifted Dinah out of the car and into the chair.

"You know, you actually have a way of making this feel a little romantic," Dinah giggled.

"Just doing my job," Shayne said sneaking a kiss before depositing her in the chair.

As they wheeled into restaurant, Dinah immediately felt self conscious. She noticed the regulars turning around in their chairs. They all smiled, but within that smile was pity, she thought.

"Shayne," she whispered, "Can we just pick up the food and take it home. I think the PT must have wiped me out more than I thought."

Shayne looked down at her, knowing without a doubt, that she couldn't have become that tired so quickly. "Ok," he told her, "I'll order them at the counter."

He began to walk away to the register when he felt Dinah pull on his sleeve, "Wait, she said, "Can you take me back out to the car first," she said, her voice shaking a little.

"Baby, are you ok," Shayne asked concerned.

"Shayne, please, just take me to the car," she said quickly, hearing the tables in front of her whispering. It wasn't as if their comments were rude or anything of the sort, but she knew everyone wanted to know what happened, and they were all asking questions, but worse than that, they were all feeling sorry for her. She couldn't handle it. She had to get out of there.

"Ok, baby," he told her. He turned to the counter and said to the worker, "I'll be right back." Quickly, he rolled Dinah out to the car. Whatever happened could wait until they were home, but he knew it was something he had to fix.

* * *

Shayne sat slowly chewing the burger as he watched Dinah break the burger into pieces. She artfully rearranged the fries on her plate so that appeared she'd eaten something.

Shayne sat the burger down and scooted his chair closer to hers. "So, you wanna tell me what's bothering me now, or when you're finished destroying that burger?,"

Shayne asked trying to keep things as light as possible.

Dinah looked up at him. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired that's all. I guess maybe I wasn't all that hungry after all."

Shayne shook his head. "You know you need to eat something. I can go get you something else if you don't want the burger….Chinese, Mexican, you name it…," he offered, reaching out to take her hand.

"No thanks," Dinah said sadly, "I'm fine really. I actually think if it's ok with you, I might just call it a night. I'm really exhausted. The session really took a lot out of me today," she said quietly avoiding making eye contact.

"Uh huh," Shayne said, "but you didn't realize how much the session took out of you until we were in Company waiting to ask for a table, right?," he said, careful not to come across as harsh or accusatory.

Dinah looked up at him. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him, but she knew she wasn't imagining things. People were staring at her, whispering about her, and pitying her and she hated it. Even more than she hated feeling sorry for herself, she hated other people feeling sorry for her.

"Hey," Shayne said, reaching out to touch her face, distracting her from her thoughts, "Tell me what happened, please….I need to know what's going on. I can't help you if I don't know."

Dinah's gaze met his eyes and she sighed. She could see how genuine he was and she couldn't keep this from him. "Did you notice how quiet everything was the moment we entered that restaurant?," she asked him.

Shayne looked at him, "No, not really. I wasn't paying any attention to anyone or anything else. Why would I? I had the most beautiful woman in the world with me," Shayne said leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

The comment made Dinah smile, but she continued, "Everyone was staring at me, Shayne. They were whispering about me…about what happened, and they all the same look on their face," she continued.

Shayne looked at her confused. "What look," he asked.

"Pity," she said. "They feel sorry for me. I can't stand it. I hate that people feel like I'm a lesser person because I'm stuck in this chair. I hate that when I enter a room this chair is the first thing that gets people's attention," Dinah said as tears streamed down her face.

Shayne reached around her and pulled her into his arms, "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't know."

"I'm sorry," Dinah said as she pulled back from Shayne's embrace. "I know I'm dumping a lot of you lately."

"No," Shayne said as he smoothed her hair behind her ears, "Don't you ever be sorry for telling me what you're feeling. I want you to always come to me. I'm here no matter what. No matter what you need. No matter when you need it," he said quietly.

"Look," she said, looking into Shayne's eyes, "I promise I'll be better at this. I'll get used to the way people look at me. I won't always need to be reassured every second of every day."

Shayne brought her hand to his lips, "As long as you do, I'll be here," he said, smiling up at her. Grabbing the wheels of the chair, Shayne pulled her directly in front of him until their knees touched. He leaned in to kiss her deeply. He felt Dinah stiffen and pull away.

Shayne looked at her, "What's wrong, baby? Is there something else?," he asked her compassionately.

"No," Dinah said, her eyes wide, "just now, when you pulled the chair, your knees….I felt that."

* * *

Shayne looked at Dinah in amazement, "What?," he said, "You felt that?".

Dinah, still a little stunned herself, looked up at Shayne, "Yeah, I did. I mean it isn't like I think I can get up and walk, but I there's definitely some kind of feeling there."

Shayne smiled at her and placed his hand on her knee, "How about now, can you feel that?," he asked his voice shaky with emotion.

Dinah's own eyes watered. Despite how hard she'd been trying to be positive, she was so afraid she'd never feel anything again, "Yeah," she said, the tears escaping, "yeah, I can."

Shayne took her face in his hands, "You are gonna be just fine," he said, his own voice breaking then, "God, I love you," he said as he pulled her into his embrace.

Shayne lay awake staring at the ceiling. He hadn't been able to fall asleep. His mind was too busy. Looking over at her, he noticed how peaceful she seemed and smiled. He wanted that more than anything in the world. More than anything, he wanted her safe, contented, and happy. Tonight, he thought, they had made a major step towards that. He hadn't mentioned the wedding again, knowing that Dinah would balk at the idea of coming down the aisle in a wheelchair, but now, now that she was getting some feeling back, he was allowing himself to dream just a little.

The thought of a beautiful wedding made him smile again. He loved the wedding they had, but he couldn't help but feel that they were cheated a bit. As if they deserved something more of a celebration, and now, he thought, now they had definitely earned it. He imagined his wife, walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress, surrounded by their family and friends. Flowers, he thought, lots of flowers and candles. She loved candles..he knew that about her. Music was important. They'd have to think about, and dancing. All of the traditions that mattered, and then other things…things that mattered that to them..

Looking back down at his sleeping wife, he leaned down to lightly kiss her cheek, "You," he whispered, "are gonna love it."

* * *

Shayne lightly traced a line down Dinah's arm and smiled slightly as he saw her stirring. He knew it was well past nine, but he hadn't been able to make himself disturb her until now.

"Hmmm…." Dinah murmured, "Is it morning already?".

"I'm afraid so," Shayne told her leaning in for a quick kiss, "Did you sleep well?".

"Better than I've slept in a really long time," she said softly ducking her head lower in towards his chest.

"I'm glad," Shayne said softly, "I didn't sleep much," he confessed.

Dinah lifted her head up to look at him, "Really," she said concerned, "Why..what was the matter?"

Shayne gently stroked her hair. "Nothing's the matter. I just couldn't stop thinking about how ready I am to marry you all over again," he told her leaning in for a kiss. Dinah smiled and happily returned his kiss.

Dinah smiled as she watched Shayne walk back and forth across the room, finally sitting on the edge of the bed to take her hands. "I know you probably wanna wait until you can walk, but now that you're getting the feeling back in your legs, that won't be long now," he said, kissing her before getting up again.

Dinah couldn't help but laugh a little. She couldn't remember a time when she'd seen him so happy and excited, and the truth was, it was a little contagious. "I just want it all…the music, the dancing, the ceremony, the flowers, the pictures, the reception…all of it," he said, returning back to the bed.

"Don't you want that, Don't you think we deserve that?," he asked her bringing his hand to her face.

Dinah could feel tears building behind her eyes, "Yeah," she said happily, "I do…and marrying you again…it's like the best dream I could have ever imagined."

Shayne kissed her softly, "You know what the best part is," he asked her softly. She shook her head, "the best part is, that it's not a dream," he said leaning her back on the bed and kissing her again.


	8. Chapter 8

"Fifteen," Shayne said lowering her right leg back to the bed. "You up for the other leg?," he asked her smiling.

"Sure," Dinah said softly, "I wanna do whatever it takes to get me back on my feet so that I can walk down that aisle to you." Shayne softly massaged her foot while working her leg up and back as the therapist had instructed, "You are going to be the most beautiful bride I have ever seen," he told her.

"You're so sweet," Dinah said smiling at him, and wincing a little.

"What's wrong," Shayne asked, not missing her small expression of pain.

"Nothing," Dinah said, waving it off, "It just hurts a little that's all."

Shayne stopped short. "If it hurts, maybe we should stop for a while," he said easing her leg back onto the bed and sliding up to the headboard to lay beside her. "I don't think it's supposed to be painful," he told her with a kiss.

Dinah looked at him for a moment, "It does hurt," Dinah said again.

Shayne looked at her. "Is it really bad, do you think you need to go to the hospital," he said, clearly not following her thought process.

"No..No, Shayne, don't you see?," she said grabbing his hand, "my leg, when you were exercising it, it hurt. I'm sure of it."

Shayne's eyebrows shot up in attention, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?," he asked a smile building across his face.

Tears filled her eyes as she spoke, "Shayne, I can feel my legs."

Shayne stood at the foot of the bed with her foot in his hand. "Ok, tell me when I touch your foot," he said calmly. He wanted desperately to scream at the top of his lungs, but he knew they had to be careful not to get too excited too fast.

"There…you just touched it," Dinah said, barely able to contain herself. "You touched the tip of my toes."

Shayne felt his own tears start to fall as he rushed back to her side and threw his arms around her. He felt her back vibrating with the sobs and he knew exactly how she felt. The tears were a mixture of happiness, fatigue, and most of all, relief. He knew because those feelings were mutual.

"You are amazing," he told her. "The way you held it together."

Dinah looked at him and sighed outloud. "Are you kidding, I was falling apart, but you, you were right here. Right beside me. You never wavered, not once."

Shayne kissed her softly. "How could I? I had to repay the favor. You were the one person who never lost faith in me. I could never lose faith in you."

* * *

Shayne stood towards the back of the room watching as Dinah and Morgan worked through the physical therapy routine. He tried to focus on the exercises so he'd know how to help her later, but his mind just continued to wander back to the wedding. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He just wanted everything to be perfect….like she was. She had given him so much, and now he desperately wanted to give back to her.

"Mr. Lewis," Morgan called to him, "You can help us out with this one," the young therapist called happily.

Shayne walked over to join his wife.

"Since Dinah is getting some sensation back in her legs, we're going to try to get her up on her feet," Morgan said with a smile. "I'm going to get on one side and you're you can get on the other side. Just support most of her weight and we want to make sure to keep the pressure off of her back as much as possible. At this point, we just want to know if she's able to move her legs and feet at all," Morgan said with a smile.

Turning her attention towards Dinah she said, "Now, this is a little early for this, so if you can't do anything just yet, I don't want you to get discouraged. You're making great progress."

Dinah nodded, "I won't. I promise. I just want to try."

Shayne leaned in to kiss the side of her cheek. "I'm right here," he whispered to her. Morgan and Shayne eased Dinah up out of the wheelchair and helped her straighten. Morgan looked over at Shayne and gestured for him to support her while she flipped over the foot rests on the chair.

Standing back up, Morgan grabbed her left arm, allowing Shayne to support the weight of her right side. "Ok, Dinah," Morgan said, "Whenever you're ready."

Dinah took a deep breath and looked down at her legs. Never before had she been so nervous about something so simple.

Morgan noticed how tense she was and gently spoke to her, "Dinah, just relax. Just try to lift your foot a little."

Dinah took another shaky breath.

Shayne reached to grab around her back. "I'm right here," he said softly. "Everything's gonna be fine."

Dinah nodded and took a final breath. She slowly willed her left foot to life. As Morgan and Shayne watched, the left foot slowly left the floor.

Morgan smiled. She honestly didn't know if she was ready, but clearly Dinah was far more determined than she gave her credit for, "That's great, Dinah," she said, honestly impressed, "now try the other foot."

Dinah followed the same pattern with the same reaction.

Shayne leaned in to kiss her cheek, "You're doing great, baby…just great."

Dinah could barely keep from crying. She had been so afraid she'd never be able to have control of her legs again, but now….now things were finally getting back to normal.

"Ok Dinah," Morgan said, "let's try a couple of steps, if you're up for it."

Dinah looked at her, "I'm up for it," she said.

Shayne wrapped his arm around her tighter and she willed herself to move forward. Slowly, she raised her foot and moved it forward and followed the same pattern with the other foot. The steps were small and slow, but they were steps. Dinah could feel the tears on her face.

Morgan smiled at her, "That's wonderful," she said, easing her back into the chair. "I think that's enough for today, but you're doing great."

Dinah looked over at Shayne, whose own eyes were moist. He touched her face, wiping away the tears gently.

"It's not exactly the bridal march of my dreams, but it's a start," she said leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

Dinah sat propped up on the edge of bed waiting for Shayne. "What are you doing in there?," she called out to him, hearing all kinds of noises that she couldn't identify.

"You'll see in a minute," Shayne called back, "Just be patient."

Shayne grabbed the lighter from the counter and lit the candles that were placed around the garden tub. He looked around the room mentally checking the items off, candles, flowers, bubbles, lotions, shampoo, sponges, rags. He turned the strange puffball over in his hand…surely she'll know what this is for, he thought. The music would have to wait, he reasoned. It would ruin the surprise. Rolling up his sleeve, he slowly turned the water on, testing the temperature. He wanted everything to be perfect.

Dinah sat listening carefully for any clues at to what Shayne was up to, "Is that water?," she called out.

Shayne stuck his head into the room and came over the side of the bed leaning in to kiss her, "Would you just relax a minute," he said gently planting a few kisses on her lips and shoulder. "I'm almost ready," he said before disappearing out of her sight again.

Dinah leaned back against the headboard and sighed. She might as well relax and enjoy it, she reasoned.

Shayne appeared in a few minutes and, before she could ask a single question, he scooped her up in his arms, "you're coming with me," he said softly as he carried her out of the room.

Dinah giggled as he carried her down the hall, "I don't know what you're up to," she whispered in between kisses, "but I'm not complaining."

Shayne smiled at her. "Close your eyes," he softly commanded.

"Why," Dinah whined, suddenly a little suspicious of her husband's requests.

"Don't ask so many questions, just close your eyes. You'll like this, I promise."

Dinah signed, "Oh, alright, they're closed," she said relaxing her shoulders.

Shayne pushed over the bathroom door and surveyed the scene trying to see it as she would when her eyes opened. He was pleased with his work. It looked amazing. "Go ahead…open them," he told her smiling in anticipation.

He heard her small gasp before she turned her head back towards him, "You did all this?," she said her breath still caught in her throat.

Shayne smiled at her, "I did. I wanted us to have a night to relax and just enjoy being together. Some time that was just for us."

Dinah looked at him, "You always know exactly what I need. How do you do it?," she asked softly, reaching up and touching his face.

Shayne smiled at her, "I had a great teacher," he said softly stroking her hair, "When I needed you, you were always there at exactly the moment I needed you. You always knew exactly what to say, you knew exactly what to do, and now, I'm so grateful, I can do that for you."

* * *

"This is incredible," Dinah said as she leaned back in the tub.

Shayne smiled. "I thought you might like this," he whispered. "Would you like some bubbles?," he asked her teasing her by holding the bottle of bubble bath over the tub haphazardly.

Dinah grinned, "of course, what's a bubble bath with no bubbles." Dinah pushed herself up in the tub a bit as Shayne poured a generous amount of the liquid into the tub, "Aren't you gonna join me," she asked him.

"Me? No…this is all for you," Shayne said, "Besides, I have a job to do," he said smiling slyly as he reached up onto the small shelf. "You just relax and enjoy this," he told her. Turning around, Shayne presented her with a glass of wine.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you," Dinah said giggling a bit.

Shayne smiled back, "You haven't seen anything yet," he said sneakily. He leaned in to kiss her gently then pulled away quickly, switched on the music and left the room.

Dinah leaned back against the tub and sighed. "How did I get so lucky?," she whispered.

"Thanks," Shayne said closing the door as he pulled the tray into the room. He felt a little flustered for sure and this certainly had not been easy, but Dinah was worth the effort. She was worth anything.

As he lit the final candles he took one final look around the room. Everything was perfect…well, almost perfect. Now, he had to go get his wife. Walking into the bathroom, Shayne smiled. She looked totally and completely relaxed.

"You ready to get out of there," Shayne asked smiling.

"Ok," Dinah said smiling back at him. "Unless of course, you've changed your mind about joining me," she said with a grin.

"As tempting as that looks," Shayne said, mentally forcing himself not to move any closer to the tub, "we have other plans."

Dinah's eyes darted to meet his, "Plans, tonight? Really? I don't remember making any plans for tonight.," she said more than a little confused.

Shayne walked over to the tub and helped her stand smiling when she was able to handle a substantial amount of the weight on her own. He wrapped the warm towel around her and helped her step out of the tub. He carefully dried her off and kissed her softly on the cheek, "That's because you didn't make any plans, I did…" he said, wrapping her in a soft, plush robe.

"Oh, really," Dinah said her eyebrows raising in surprise. "Wow, you've been busy tonight, haven't you?"

Shayne kissed her again, "Wouldn't you like to know." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

* * *

Rounding the corner Dinah couldn't believe it, the entire room was lit by candlelight. The bed was turned down with tons of pillows and there were two bed trays adorned with a single red rose each.

Dinah turned in Shayne's arm and smiled. He kissed her then whispered, "the roses are silk, no sneezing."

She smiled, "You're incredible. This is absolutely incredible. What is all this? What's the occasion?," she asked, mentally trying to make sure she hadn't missed some important date. "There's no occasion. I just want you to know how much I love you and how glad I am that you're getting better and stronger. I just wanted tonight to be special…special for us," he said softly.

"Put me down," Dinah requested. Shayne gently rested her on the floor and helped her stand.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, "I wanna do this right," she said smiling.

Shayne pulled back, "I'd love to do that all night long," he said, leaning in for one more quick kiss, "but then we wouldn't be able to eat our delicious dinner," he said gesturing to the covered trays on the rolling cart.

"Dinner?," Dinah said intrigued.

"Yeah," Shayne said, quite pleased with himself, "I figure any man can handle breakfast in bed, but it takes a real man to do dinner in bed," he responded with a smile.

Dinah laughed at him then, "Well, you certainly are that," she said.

"Let's get you in that bed," Shayne said moving to scoop her up again.

"No," Dinah said stopping him, "Let me try to walk."

Shayne looked at her. "Baby, you're doing so well. Remember Morgan told you not to push," he gently reminded her.

"I know," Dinah said softly, "And I'm not pushing, really, I'm not. I just want to see if I can take any steps yet. You can help me and I know you'll be right behind me if I fall."

Shayne smiled at that comment…she knew just what to say to get to him, "Alright," he said with slight resignation. He put one hand under each elbow. He didn't offer any support yet, but he wanted to make he was close enough to her if she needed him. Dinah took a deep breath and took the steps towards the bed. Making it to edge she eased herself onto the edge. Looking up at Shayne, she saw that he was smiling.

He knelt down in front of her, "You did it," he said softly, "You're walking."

Dinah took his hands. Everything was going to be fine.

Chapter 46

"So," Shayne said as they were finishing their dinner, "about this wedding…"

Dinah smiled at him, and turned toward him, "What about this wedding?," she whispered.

Shayne leaned in for a gentle kiss. "I've been thinking a lot about it," he admitted, "and I'd really like to make it special for us. I'd like it to be everything our other wedding wasn't," he said running his fingers through her hair.

"I loved our wedding," Dinah said curling closer into him.

"I know," Shayne said quickly, "I did too. It's just that we got married so fast that we had to skip a lot of the fun stuff, and this time around, I want us to have it all," he said happily.

"All of it, huh?," Dinah said. "So, I can get a dress and a veil and a bouquet all over again," she said teasing him a bit.

Shayne smiled, "Of course you can. Not that you'll need all that to be an absolutely gorgeous bride," he said kissing her again.

"I've graduated," Dinah said as she exited the PT room, smiling.

"Wow, sexy," Shayne said as Dinah twirled the small cane around.

"I know you wish you could have one of these," she giggled.

Shayne wrapped his arms around her, "It's just so good to see you back on your feet," he said softly, kissing her forehead.

Dinah nodded, "Morgan said I probably only have to use this for a little while. She says I don't even have to use it all day if I don't want to. Just play it by ear," she told him smiling happily.

"So, how do you feel," Shayne asked her softly. Dinah sighed, "Fantastic, happy, excited…and most importantly, ready to marry you all over again".


End file.
